Over the past few years, researchers from Taltech Laboratory of Polymers and Textile Technology in cooperation with the company Skeleton Technologies, Institute of Chemistry of University of Tartu and the European Space Agency (ESA) have been engaged in the development of novel extremely durable supercapacitors.

In biology it is well-known that every living organism is triggered by the hereditary material or DNA that encodes various protein molecules, which in turn perform all the necessary biological functions and it might seem that nothing else is needed to sustain the life of an organism.

Researchers who are interested in applying for ERC grants can apply for support for short term study visits to current ERC grant holders. Estonian Research Council reimburses the costs of a study visit lasting up to two months. The aim of the visit is to learn from the grant holders how to write successful grant proposals and how to manage the ERC grant. The call for applications will be open in ETIS from 18 May until 17:00, 12 June 2020.

For normal gut and body function, the diet should contain sufficient amounts of (at least 25 – 35 grams of) a variety of dietary fibres. Fibres are a type of carbohydrates forming a big group of molecules of very different structures and sizes that have different functions in our body.

Over the last six years a group of Estonian geneticists led by Associate Professor Agne Velthut-Meikas and a PhD student Ilmatar Rooda from TalTech Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology have studied genes previously associated primarily with female hormone synthesis and ovarian follicle development. The findings suggest that these genes may play a far more complex role in oocyte maturation than previously assumed.

It is known that approximately 80% of human immune system functions in the gastrointestinal tract. Gut bacteria and their metabolites play a fundamental role in the interaction between gut and other organs.

Today, the University of Tartu researchers start a three-month study on the prevalence of coronavirus in Estonia among both symptomatic and asymptomatic people. For that, at least 16,000 residents of Estonia based on a random statistical sample will be interviewed and invited to be tested for coronavirus.

We are pleased to present to you the special edition of Folklore: Electronic Journal of Folklore, titled “On the Move: Migration and Diasporas”, with Leena Kurvet-Käosaar and Triinu Ojamaa as guest editors. The issue brings together researchers representing a variety of fields of the humanities and social sciences. The contributions of the current volume focus on migration dominantly from the perspective of the individual and highlight, in particular, the crucial importance of the ways in which social engagements and bonds and communication networks are formed and function (or fail to function) on individual and collective levels in the context of forced and voluntary migration.

Several hundred thousand salmon swim closely together in fish farms. For at least some time, the fish farmer and the fish have the same goal: to keep the fish healthy, eating and growing. Therefore it is necessary to provide fish with environmental conditions, where the stress level is low, parasites do not pose a risk to their health and there is enough food. Stressed and sick fish do not eat or grow or bring profit to the fish farmer.

To find out about politics and inequality in prehistoric Europe, the prominent European Research Council (ERC) awarded researchers of three countries with a grant of nearly two million euros in total. To obtain new information, the researchers will use novel research methods and thereby bring together ancient life and death.

An interdisciplinary research team of the University of Tartu is actively collecting, modelling and analysing data on the spread of coronavirus. The researchers invite people to participate in a study on the prevalence of COVID-19 to create a database for mapping and modelling the spread of the virus. The research group includes computer scientists, statisticians, mathematicians and medical, genetic and social scientists of the University of Tartu.

01.04.2020 Building scientists explain why we suffer from too dry indoor air in winter TalTech building scientists in cooperation with their colleagues from Canada studied the factors influencing the indoor temperature and humidity of dwellings. The goal of the study was to create indoor temperature and humidity load models for dwellings in northern climate. These models applied in designing building envelopes indicate the dependency of moisture excess levels on occupancy.
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01.04.2020 Why the pandemic may pave the way for online voting? Covid-19 is a democratic time bomb. Is electronic voting the answer?
This article was originally published on Apolitical.
This article is written by Dr. Robert Krimmer, professor of e-Governance Dr. David Duenas-Cid, senior researcher in e-Governance and Iuliia Krivonosova, Junior Researcher in e-Governance at the Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance at Taltech, Estonia.
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19.03.2020 How to operate and use building services in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) virus (SARS-CoV-2) On March 17, Federation of European Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Associations REHVA published guidance on the operation and use of building services in areas with a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. Representing a network of more than 120.000 engineers from 27 European countries, REHVA guidance complements the general guidance for employers provided by WHO and is targeted to commercial and public buildings.
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11.03.2020 An international conference offers a forum for scholarly discussions on practical approaches to handling a world full of disagreements Today, on 11th of March, an international scholarly conference begins at the University of Tartu, focusing on the philosophical analysis of disagreements. The conference also constitutes discussions with an international community of scholars of the results of a funded investigation led by Margit Sutrop, Professor of Practical Philosophy at the University of Tartu.
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